March 2000
Issue 11
JA Hale, Editor

*****************************************************************
By subscription only! Welcome to another issue of:

"THE BALANCED WOMAN".
Thanks to all of you who have encouraged your friends to subscribe!  You are important to us.  So rest assured we will NEVER sell or give away your email addresses to anyone!!

We realize that not all of the email programs available can accommodate our size.  So you can also find this issue of The Balanced Woman at: http://angelfire.com/sd/BalancedWoman/issue11.html

*****************************************************************
              IN THIS ISSUE
*****************************************************************
 
       => Welcome
       => Feature Article: "Make Every Day a Spring Day"
       => Household Tip
       => Guest Column:  "Focus Your Light"
       => Parenting Tip
       => Guest Column:  "Dressing Better for Less"
       => Pampering Yourself
       => Classified Ads
       => Subscribe/Un subscribe information
*****************************************************************
                       WELCOME

Spring is almost here!  I don't know about you but it's my favorite time of year!  So in preparation for the great "spring cleaning" I'd like to recommend that you visit Get Organized Now (http://www.getorganizednow.com).  It's a GREAT site filled with TONS of wonderful advice.  I LOVE it!!

You know, sometimes it's easy to forget that most people are good, decent, and hard working.  All we ever hear about, every night on TV, are the murderers and the thiefs.  So it was refreshing to find "Just Folks", an ezine dedicated to bringing you stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  It's a great reminder that the majority of us really do care about each other and the world we live in.  Positive Press about Positive People!  To  subscribe please send a blank email to:  JFInfo@JustFolks.Net with subscribe in the subject.

Well, that's it for now.  I hope you enjoy this issue!
jackie

PS:  Don’t forget to visit our website at: http://www.betweenfriends.org.  We've changed the look to make it easier to read and we update regularly!

*****************************************************************

                  This Month's Sponsors!

                       HER PLANET!
Because different women have different needs.....The HerPlanet Network Where women come to live, learn and
laugh.http://www.herplanet.com
 

                       STOP SNORING!
with Snoreless "Featured on the Regis and Kathy Lee show".  Give yourself and your partner a good night's sleep.  "An amazing NEW spray that stops snoring in a snap.  No dental devices or surgery necessary.  A perfect gift for all occasions.  Order today at just $20.00 http://www.healthieralternatives.com/

*****************************************************************
Feature Article: Make Every Day a Spring Day
By:  Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale
*****************************************************************
The first day of Spring arrives in March.  And so it was that I was reminded the other day that Spring is a time for growth.  Plants, grass, bushes and even animals renew themselves every Spring.  They emerge from their winter hibernation, come back to life and begin again.

As I reflected upon this circle of life, my attention was drawn to my young son who was playing with his friend outside.  I was struck by their curiosity, the joy they found in the simplest of pleasures and the way in which they renew themselves every moment of every day.  Children constantly learn and grow.  In the process they represent Spring year round.

It made me wonder why we, as adults, have lost this ability.  Perhaps IT is what brings such happiness to children.  Maybe if we made learning and growing a natural part of each day we might experience the same joy we think is reserved only for them.

I am the one who always writes about simplifying your life, learning to say no and doing less.  Yet now I am advocating learning something new every day.  Seems contradictory.  But learning doesn't necessarily mean taking college courses or spending days on end in the library.  It can be as simple as teaching yourself a new word, learning to cook a new dish or observing something new about your children or your spouse.

There is newness all around us.  We must just learn to "see" it.  But it's not just about seeing.  It's about hearing, tasting, smelling and touching too.  Do you ever really "hear" the birds that serenade you in the morning?  Do you ever really "smell" the scent of freshly cut grass?  Do you ever really taste the myriad of flavors in ALL of the meals you eat?  Do you ever really feel the touch of your child's hand or the gently drops of water flowing from your shower in the morning?

Wake up your senses!  Stimulate your mind!  Question, wonder and marvel at what's around you.  It's never too late to learn.

Staying young is about anti aging creams, face-lifts and the elimination of lines and wrinkles.  BEING young is in the mind.  It's about newness; it's about growth it's about learning and wondering.  BEING young is about Spring.    As I write these very words I hear my son and his friend tell each other "It's a beautiful day!" and I can't help but think to myself--it sure is!

Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale is a CPA and the editor of  a monthly ezine, “The Balanced Woman”.  She is also the author of "100 Ways to Pamper Yourself" and "Don't Mess with the IRS!"  All of these publications are available at http://www.betweenfriends.org

Webmasters and publishers may use this article in their ezine or website, as long as the *entire*
article is used, and the *copyright notice* and *resource box* are left in tact, including this notice

*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************

HOUSEHOLD HINT OF THE MONTH
 

Tired of lugging multiple laundry hampers down the stairs on laundry day?  Not only is this fatiguing, it's an accident waiting to happen.  Try this instead:

Use some type of liner in your hamper such as a large plastic or cloth bag, or a mesh laundry bag with a drawstring at the top.  When it's time to haul dirty laundry, close the bag and toss it down the steps.  Empty it in your laundry room then return the liners to their (stationary) hampers.

Once your kids witness you as do this, they might even offer to take over the job!

Excerpted from Tipomatic at http://www.emazing.com.  EMAZING delivers FREE greeting cards, tips, news, comics, and horoscopes to your email box daily.

*****************************************************************
Focus Your Light
By Elena Fawkner
*****************************************************************

Remember when you were a kid how you could make paper catch fire by focusing the sun's rays with a magnifying glass?  You'd look over your shoulder at the sun, get the angle of the rays just right, and move the magnifying glass until you could see a small circle of bright light on the piece of paper in front of you.  Gradually, that circle began to turn brown and the paper began to smolder until its edges began to curl under as the flame took hold.  How did that humble magnifying glass start something as powerful and elemental as a fire?  The answer, of course, is concentration.

Concentration of the sun's rays into a tiny, intense circle of heat.  In a word, FOCUS.  We work the same way.  If we truly focus our energy, concentration and creativity, we bring an intensity to the task that we just can't generate if these things are scattered amongst several projects at once.  Now, to simply say to you, "focus your energy and you will achieve greater results" is all very well.  It's quite another matter entirely to be able to do it, especially when there are umpteen different priorities constantly tugging away at you, each demanding at least some of your attention and NOW DAMMIT!  To bring focus to your various activities, you need to break the cycle of allowing yourself to be distracted from the task at hand.

Identify Priority Tasks
To start with, you should allocate your time proportionately to all of the various tasks you need to do.  Notice I said NEED to do.  The first step is to decide what truly needs to be done and what doesn't.  If you categorize a task as something that needs to be done, ask yourself why it is necessary.  Another way of asking the same question is to ask yourself, "what will happen if I don't do this today?".  If the ultimate consequence is that nothing will happen, why do it?  If you find yourself reluctantly concluding, well, I don't NEED to do this, I WANT to, then put it into the "need to do" category.  Doing things for yourself, for your own enjoyment or satisfaction, should be a priority.  Focus is not only about doing the things you should do, it is doing the things you want to do as well.  By including in your need to do list things that are for your own personal pleasure and enjoyment, you replenish yourself and this in turn allows you to bring even greater focus, awareness and creativity to your other activities.  So, give yourself permission to enjoy yourself.

Allocate Time to Priority Tasks
Now that you have identified your 'need to do' activities, decide when you are going to do them and estimate how long you think they will take.  Then add 40%.  One of the immutable laws of the universe is that everything takes longer than you think it will.  Save yourself the stress of running to keep up with the clock.

When thinking about when you will do a specific task, work with your body.  Are you a morning person, a night owl, a late-afternoon person or something else entirely?  Whichever you are, schedule for that time your most intellectually demanding tasks.  If you're a morning person, for example, and one of your 'need to do' activities is to write a sales page for your website, allocate this task to your prime time.  Then allocate your less intellectually demanding activities, such as reading and responding to email, to your off-peak time.  Similarly, don't schedule your personal time for your primetime.  Again, if you're a morning person, schedule your hour lying out in the sun for mid-afternoon, your 'off-peak' time.  By making strategic use of your time in this way you will be making the most efficient use of your prime time while STILL being able to do the things that YOU enjoy, and on a daily basis!

Compare this approach with a fragmented one.  You're a morning person.  You need to write a sales page for your web site.  You also need to read and respond to email today and you also want to schedule time, just an hour or so, to get some sun.  It's morning but, instead of starting your sales page, you decide to read and respond to your email first, to kind of ease into the day.  That's a breeze because reading and responding to email is not an intellectually demanding task and you're at your peak anyway.  You finish reading and responding to your mail two hours later.  Now you think about writing your sales page.  But you've used your peak concentration time on email and you've lost that sharp edge you always have first thing in the morning.  That makes writing sales copy, an already intellectually demanding task, even more difficult.  You really don't feel like it right now.  So you put it off.  You look for something easier to do.

Maybe you could take that hour off now and use the time while you're lying out in the sun to get your head together.  But no, you can't relax if you know you have work uncompleted.  So you decide to force yourself to make a start on your sales copy.  You write your copy but it just doesn't flow.  It feels stilted and contrived.  You begin to get frustrated and annoyed with yourself.  If only I'd got it over and done with first thing I'd be dealing with my email right now looking forward to lying out in the sun for a while later on.  That's what I should be doing!  So, you get annoyed with yourself, and become generally irritable.  Which, of course, just blocks the creative flow even more.  Lunchtime rolls around and you feel like you've wasted half a day.  What a waste of energy, concentration and creativity!  What a lack of FOCUS.  Just look at the energy you've wasted feeling annoyed and irritable with yourself.  Just think what you could have accomplished if you'd put that energy to good use and focused!  Save yourself the angst.

Identify priority tasks, strategically allocate times of the day to each task depending on how intellectually demanding they are, and exercise personal DISCIPLINE to do the right thing right and at the right time.

Concentrate on One Thing at a Time
When you're doing the right thing at the right time, dedicate yourself to that one thing and nothing else.  Don't let your mind wander to what else you could be doing.  You don't need to worry about that because "what else" has been allocated its own time and that time will come.  Remember, the whole point of focusing is to make maximum use of your time, energy, concentration and creativity.  If you can do this, you will give yourself the gift of more time for yourself and your family.  So remember to turn it off too.  Give 100% of yourself to the task at hand during the time allocated to that task and then let it go.  Take care of business but always remember, life is for living!

Elena Fawkner is editor of the award-winning weekly ezine, A Home-Based Business Online, a down-to-earth publication containing practical home-based business ideas, original articles, free e-books and much more.  She also runs the A Home-Based Business Online website at at http://www.fawkner.com.  You can subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.fawkner.com/subscribe.html?BalancedWoman

*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************

PARENTING TIP OF THE MONTH
 

Where the discipline of a child is concerned, consistency is very important, as is a united agreement in the presence of the child.  Many times a child will try to pit one parent or adult authority against the other, so it's best to be prepared when this occurs.  Try to be in agreement with the other caregivers as to fair punishments or limitations you give your child.  Each should understand what behavior constitutes a need for grounding or other suitable punishment; let your child know his limitations and what the consequences will be if the rules are broken.  It's up to the grown-ups to be consistent and support each other in all areas of child discipline.

Excerpted from Tipomatic at http://www.emazing.com.  EMAZING delivers FREE greeting cards, tips, news, comics, and horoscopes to your email box daily.

*****************************************************************
Dressing Better for Less
The Dollar Stretcher
By Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com
*****************************************************************
Style.  That elusive characteristic that helps define who you are.  Some people have it in great abundance.  Some people spend their lives searching for it.  Whole magazines are dedicated to the subject.  In fact, whole industries are dedicated to making money from style.  We're even encouraged to `dress for success'!

Why is this important to you?  In part because we're all judged according to the current style standards.  No one wants to stand out by wearing clothes that are decidedly out of style.  Even men, myself included, know that there are certain ties and jackets that I just can't wear anymore!  What's the point?  Well, if we don't want to be out of style and can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe each season, we'll have to find away to fight the style battles without spending a bundle.

There are a number of things that you can do to keep your closet stocked with stylish, quality clothes.  Let's see how it's done.  First, buy classic styles.  Whether you're talking about lapel widths or skirt lengths, there are some styles that are always acceptable.

Avoid extremes.  This holds true for men, women and even children.  There will always be some styles that you can buy and everyone will know that you're wearing anew outfit.  Momentarily you feel great.  Unfortunately, in a year they'll also know that it's an old outfit.  Unless clothing is a very important part of who the `real you' is, why fall into the trap?  There are a number of components of classic style.  You'll want to watch for them.  For slacks usually straight legs are best.  Avoid flares or tapers.  Cuffs go in and out of style.  It's best to avoid them.  Pant legs for both men and women should go to the heel.  Shirts and blouses should be of a conservative, classic cut.  Overly full sleeves or unusual cuffs may be `in' today, but not tomorrow.  Again, look for moderate collars.  Extreme collars are one of the first things that a fashion designer will change.

Does all this mean that you have to be a style dropout?  Of course not!  There's no reason not to have fun with fashion.  Just do it with accessories rather than with your basic wardrobe.  Ladies can use belts, scarves and their imagination to buy accessories that are `hot' today.  Enjoy them now knowing that you'll be replacing them next season.  Men can use this season's ties to stay current.  It's much less costly, and more fun, to buy new accessories frequently rather than replacing suits, dresses, slacks and shirts.  Another key to dressing well for less is to learn to find, identify and buy good quality clothes.

Buying good quality in clothes definitely pays off.  You use your clothes every day.  Not only will poor quality clothes wear out faster, they won't fit as well while you do wear them.  Beware: a high price does not mean high quality.  Many high priced, name recognizable clothes are not well made.  You can learn to identify good quality clothes.  There are three elements that will tell you whether the garment you're considering is of good quality.  First, is the piece suited for its use?  Is its design appropriate for how you'll use it?  If the item is going to be worn frequently for work you won't want to dry-clean it.  Party clothes should `breathe' to allow for dancing in comfort.  You get the idea.  Fabric selection and fine sewing are the other two elements of quality garments.  Take the time to learn a little bit about fabrics.  Some combinations are prone to wrinkle.  Others lose their shape after a few washings.  If you don't know about fabrics, ask your friends or a knowledgeable salesperson.  Many savvy shoppers say that they can tell a good fabric by just feeling it even with their eyes closed.  You don't need to know how to sew to identify good workmanship.  Are the stitches even?  Are any loose or broken?  Look for straight seams.  Zippers and lapels shouldn't pucker.  Any sign of sloppiness is a clue that the garment was not well made.

A final key to a frugal wardrobe is selecting individual items with flexibility in mind.  Begin with color.  Use that color to guide your purchases.  If you're like me you love blues.  If you have one central color for your wardrobe it's much easier to add a piece that can be used with a number of already owned items.  If you open your closet and it looks like Picasso's palette you're going to end up with more mismatches that just `don't go with anything'.  That doesn't mean you only wear one color.  It means that `contrast' pieces can be used with a number of existing items.  Also plan for flexibility in usage.

When you plan to buy a blouse or shirt stop and ask if it will work well with a number of suits and slacks.  If it doesn't go with things that are already in your closet, you're committing to making another purchase to go with the first.  Flexibility is a key to keeping a wardrobe `fresh'.  A new jacket added to already owned slacks and blouse/shirt is still a `new outfit'.  People that see you regularly will notice the `new' jacket, not the `old' slacks.  Also, when it's time to dispose of an old item you haven't destroyed an entire outfit.  The other items are still useable with other matches.

Yes, it's possible to dress in stylish quality for less.  It takes a little education and effort.  But isn't that better than hearing them whisper behind your back, "you know...that's last year's style she's wearing"?

Gary is the editor of The Dollar Stretcher (http://www.stretcher.com)  website.  Dedicated to "Living Better...for Less", you'll find the web's largest collection of free articles to save you time and money.  There's even a free weekly email newsletter.
 

*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************

Pampering Yourself

Just this once, hire a housekeeper to do your spring-cleaning.  If you look into you may find it's more affordable than you think.  And besides, you deserve it anyway!

*****************************************************************

Classified Ads
BE HAPPY, BE HEALTHY, LIVE LONG AND PROSPER! Subscribe to A Better Life: ItsYourFuture! FREE Ezine.mailto: itsyourfuture-subscribe@egroups.com or visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/itsyourfuture/info.htmlWebsite: http://www.itsyourfuture.net

YOU'VE GOT MAIL! Get your daily laugh from Max's World for FREE! You'll get a daily dose of fun in your mailbox for free!  You'll get jokes, funny cartoons, quotes, riddles and more...Join now and you could win our sweepstakes.... BIG TIMES!Subscribe: mailto:maxsworld-subscribe@onelist.com Also get our outstanding weekly version today!Subscribe: mailto:maxsworldweeekly-subscribe@onelist.com

JustFolks === > The E-Zine that believes everyone has a story. Extra-ordinary stories about ordinary people Delivering hope, inspiration, and uplifting messages every week If you love people and good stories then Just Folks is the E-Zine foryou! JustFolks is always looking for stories! Come share yours Learn more about Just Folks by e-mailing JFInfo@JustFolks.Net? subject=TBWSentMe

Free Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak, E-zine, tips, ideas, tools, articles and more to help you get organized in your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! web site! http://www.getorganizednow.com

Too Busy to Cook? We have a solution! Now you can visit a web site devoted entirely to new, original and great tasting recipes that can be prepared in 20 minutes or less. Every recipe is prepared and tested by leading culinary experts. Each recipe includes complete menus, instructions and shopping lists. Free weekly newsletter and new recipes added every week. Click here and try it! http://www.MinuteMeals.com AOL users click here:<a href=" http://www.minutemeals.com ">MinuteMeals</a>

WHAT'S THIS NONSENSE? Those lovable scamps, Linky &Dinky, find the DARNdest Web Links, and compile them forus in a highly disorganized, scattershot manner... fromthe brainy, to the bizarre, to the obtuse, Linky & Dinkyrule! Always a FUN stop. Don't miss the Magic Trick ,it's a DOOZY! http://www.linkydinky.com <P><A HREF="http://www.linkydinky.com">Linky & Dinky</A></P>

What's for dinner tonight? The Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club newsletter is sent out every Friday to families looking for quick, easy dinner ideas. Sign up at:  http://www.creativehomemaking.com  or send a blank e-mail message to FreeRecipes-subscribe@onelist.com. Signup today!

** Motivating - Uplifting - Positive Thoughts **The Motivational Mailer blends Encouraging Stories,with a portion of Uplifting Quotes and tops it off with a sprinkle of Humor. Combined these make the PERFECTmorning Treat. What a GREAT way to start each Weekday!To Subscribe mailto:motivational_mailer-subscribe@topica.com Or Visit http://www.self-worth.com

*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************

                    Disclaimer
The appearance of advertising in The Balanced Woman should not be interpreted as an endorsement by the editors of the service, product, business, or program being advertised.  We take no responsibility for claims or representations made in any ads.  The Balanced Woman is for informational and entertainment purposes only.  The ideas and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone either explicitly or implicitly.  In no event shall Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation.  The opinions expressed by our columnists are not necessarily the position of The Balanced Woman.
*****************************************************************

Copyright 1999, 2000 JA Hale
Editor's Comments: If any of you have any ideas, comments and suggestions on how we can improve this e-zine please let me know.  Just send an email to: jahale95@yahoo.com

*****************************************************************
                  List Maintenance:
                    To subscribe
                Send a blank email to:
       -TheBalancedWoman-subscribe@onelist.com
 
                    To unsubscribe
                Send a blank email to:
       -TheBalancedWoman-unsubscribe@onelist.com
*****************************************************************
Help us to grow.  If you have enjoyed this issue of The Balanced Woman, please feel free to forward it, in its entirety, to a friend.  Thank you for subscribing
*****************************************************************